PRELIMINARY SURVEY OF RIPARIAN VEGETATION OF THE SPRING-FED STREAM KYUNJA GAD, A TRIBUTARY OF RIVER MANDAKINI, RUDRPRAYAG GARHWAL, UTTARAKHAND

Abstract

The vegetation around a river or stream is called riparian vegetation. The quality of riparian vegetation has direct influence on the quality of life in water. The fallen leaves and twigs of the riparian flora accumulated in side streams and after some time makes a detritus which becomes an intrinsic part of the stream and contributes to its productivity as food of various benthic and nektonic organisms. In the present contribution, an attempt has been made to enlist the riparian vegetation around spring-fed stream Kyunja gad, tributary of the glacier-fed river Mandakini in District Rudrprayag, Garhwal, Uttarakhand. Total twenty-one tree species and twelve species of herbs and shrubs were observed